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Molly Olsen Chapter 3 Abstract Just because a student doesn't ace standardized tests, or often fidgets in class, doesn't mean they're not smart. Students often possess varying levels of Howard Gardner's eight intelligences (Logical-mathematical, Spatial, Linguistic, Bodily-kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, Existential) and we shouldn't pigeon-hole them as only having one or two, but when they show a clear proclivity for some and not others, we can use that information to better help this student learn. The best way to do this is not with a test, but instead through observation. The author of the book even recommended paying attention to how students spend their free or down time between assignments, as well as the ways in which students misbehave in order to understand which intelligence they have used most. Take notes on these behaviors, and you may very well see a pattern.
Some more ways to figure out just what kind of intelligence a student most possesses, is to collect documents on them. What this means is save their projects, take pictures of their work, videotape or record performances and if possible, put them on a single disk or in a packet so that you have a sort of collage of their works. Another option is to set up a class in centers with specific intelligences targeted at each space, and see which students navigate and show the most intelligence and understanding in those centers. Reviewing their files is also helpful as seeing grades from past years and available test scores may show that they thrive in a movement-based environment such as shop class or gym, or may show that they do best in English class and hence probably have a knack for the linguistic.
Of course you can always talk to their past teachers who gave them these grades as well, so you have a clearer picture of what their expectations were of the student. You could also ask the student's parents as they spend more time with the child than anyone else. Parents help them with homework or projects and bring them to extracurriculars which may point in a specific direction, such as a musically-driven student having piano lessons. But the best person to talk to may actually be the student themselves. Asking questions about what lessons they most enjoy, what they do for fun, etc. could help you understand in what ways they are bright, and allows you to better help them with project choices or if they're stuck on a particular idea.
Chapter 3 Synthesis Any sort of behavior is actually a form of communication, it's just up to us as teachers to interpret it. A student misbehaving doesn't necessarily mean that they're a "bad kid" but instead that perhaps you need to change your curriculum a bit to better cater to their needs. That poor behavior is also an indicator for what they would rather be doing, which is often what they have a proclivity for, so observation and understanding of that is paramount.
If you have a better understanding of how many of your students learn, or the way they learn best, you can better tailor your lessons to fit their needs. If you're teaching in a way that "fits" them, they'll be more enthusiastic and engaged in the subject. It would be nice if we could take time out of class to just observe and take notes, but as teachers, we have to keep moving, so quick jots of quotes or actions of the student may be best.
Getting to better know your students is never a bad thing as it will foster better relationships. We all want to better understand our students, and they want to be understood. Sometimes it's as simple as talking to them, reviewing their files, picking up on their social cues, or simply the previously mentioned overall observation because usually, kids aren't going to come right out and tell you how they learn best because often times they don't know themselves.
Garrett Hodgkins
The third Chapter of Multiple Intelligences goes in some way you can assess what a students stronger intelligences may be. It gives a number of good examples and ways one might do this. For instance, examining the way they misbehave in class, what they do in their free-time, talking with other teachers or the students parents, and setting up special activities.
Before this chapter I had assumed that I would be able to place a students intelligence area simply from my normal assessments and observing some of their actions in the classroom. In retrospect that is a silly thought because one can not simply learn where a student may excel or not from just one classroom. This has changed my view on how I can better get to know my students, and use that to my advantage when writing lesson plans and units. Also, it gave a great idea when it came to the special activities in order to determine where the whole classrooms strengths may lie, my only concern with this however is how often will there be time to make 8 activities that could assess each intelligence, while trying to teach a class period effectively? Although this may seem shaky, im sure that in the course of an entire unit something like this may possible, and in the long run a little lost time in one unit to learn more of my students may increase efficiency in later units.
Sean Falasca
Although there is not true test for assessing students Multiple Intelligence, the best assessment is simply observing them. Looking at how they misbehave in class can be a sign of expression. If you aren't teaching to everyone's intelligences then they will express their intelligence anyway they can. So, don't always take misbehaving as a troubled child, but as a signal for what we can do differently to help a student. Also, looking at how student spend their free time is a good indicator as well. I used to play sports whenever I had free time, which would give the teacher evidence that I am a Bodily/Kinesthetic learner. Also, when I was in the classroom I used to do a lot of tapping with my fingers, pen, pencils, or whatever I could get my hands on. This was another sign of my Multiple Intelligence, but some of my teacher just told me to stop rather than using it as evidence that I could be taught a different way.
Keeping a notebook or journal as a teacher will help me greatly to keep track of the type of learner my students are. Adding a few lines based off observations to each student everyday will give me an abundance of research that I can use to help better my teaching and use it to help my colleagues as well. I don’t agree with the book on taking picture of students to keep track of their Multiple Intelligences. I think that is going to far and simple observation would get the job done. Even if observation wasn’t clear I could just have a meeting with a student and ask questions that would give me the answers I seek or ask other colleagues opinions.
Alison Hutchins
Chapter 3 of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom focuses on the student rather than the teacher. Once a teacher understands their own multiple intelligence strengths and weaknesses, they can be implemented on the classroom. The chapter mostly gives ways to access student multiple intelligences. It tells us that these "proclivities" begin at a very early age, so early that they've probably already gain some primary form of learning before they even begin their schooling careers. The chapter also makes it clear that there is no "megatest" for multiple intelligences to tell you with absolutely certainty where your student will excel, or where their weaknesses lie. Some of the ways it suggests observing them for their intelligences, however is to watch the way that they misbehaves (as these are usually associated to their intelligence strengths), to know how they spend their free time, to look at school record, talk to other teachers and parents, and ask the student.
Knowing this information about a student drastically changes the way that you teach them, so finding them out as quickly as possible is really very important to the classroom. The chapter was very helpful giving such inventive ways to find out, outside of just giving them a test. Searching their past and their records, and observing them closely gives you and even more in depth view of the student. Finding these out also lets you be aware of what you can do as a teacher to accommodate them, and, if you are weak in that area, seek help from other teachers and students.
Frank Makuch
This chapter focuses on identifying the multiple intelligences of classroom students. There is no one answer to figure this information out but there are ways to get an idea of how a student learns best. Some ways to figure this out is to watch how students want to spend their time. This can be done by watching how students misbehave in class, and also by what they do on their own during free time. The author suggests keeping a notebook in order to asses these proclivities on a larger scale. To get an even longer timeline of student behavior it also might be useful to consult school documents. Kindergarten records can be useful because students were able to do more creative things at that level. The author also suggests talking with other teachers, talking with parents, and asking students to find out how the student thinks. Within a teachers own classroom he can set up special activities as well to see how the student reacts to an emphasis on certain intelligences.
This section seems very interesting to me because the author advocates a certain amount of detective work in order to uncover some of this knowledge. I do not know if I’ll try to find a student’s kindergarten records to asses them in high school but I do see how it could be of some use. Catering to all multiple intelligences may be overkill in a certain classroom if none of the students learn well that way. This is why it may be important to find out what and how to teach.
Amy Jones
Chapter 3 of MI describes how you can assess the different multiple intelligences of your students. The first thing you need to know is how students with the different intelligences think.
Different learning styles
Ways in which learners think
Linguistic
In words
Spatial
In images and pictures
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Through somatic sensations
Musical
Via rhythms and melodies
Interpersonal
By bouncing ideas offer other people
Intrapersonal
In relation to their needs, feelings, and goals
Naturalist
Through nature and natural forms
Logical-Mathematical
By reason
There are many ways in which you can asses your students but the best way is to simply observe them. In the chapter the authors provide a checklist that you could perform on each student, which will make it easier for you to determine their primary learning strategy. This will become useful when making lessons plans so that you can tailor the assignments that will promote the best work from your students. Other examples of assessment are:
Collecting Documents: pictures and videos can be used to capture memorable
Looking at student records: typically which subjects were better/worse
Talking with other teachers: This will help in assessing the student as a whole, maybe they engage more/less in other subject areas, or even with different teaching strategies.
Talking with student’s parents: This will help provide more information about the child through their actions outside of the classroom (different hobbies and interests).
Ask students: feedback from students will tell you a lot.
Set up special activities: Look for those kids who are striving and those that aren’t.
The importance of knowing your students different learning styles is essential and will help you teach in ways that your students will understand and maybe even engage in the material more enthusiastically.
Kaitlyn Bowie
The focus of this chapter is how to best go about identifying a student’s strongest intelligences and then incorporating ways that will best stimulate those intelligences in the classroom. The best way to go about identifying these intelligences is to observe the students and see how they go about misbehaving in class and how they spend their free time, and take note of what you see. A teacher can also talk to the student’s parents and past teachers to see where they see strengths and weaknesses and what situations stimulate the best learning for them. A teacher can also conduct interviews with students to pinpoint what kinds of activities or learning process they have most enjoyed in other classes, even if in other subjects, because there is likely a way to incorporate that into one’s own teaching method. While not every student will enjoy every way a teacher choose to teach a lesson, a teacher who successfully utilizes the idea of multiple intelligences will see the hypothetical light bulbs going on and off during their lesson.
What this means for my classroom and teaching methods is that I will need to identify the best ways in which my class learns and find a way to present the information in a multitude of ways that will appeal to them, and relay the same information. While some of my students will have an easier time sitting and taking notes during a lecture, others may be more inclined to see film adaptations and documentaries. Then the few students who perhaps prefer neither option, I can focus my attentions on and work one-on-one with them to identify the best course of learning for them.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 3, of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, the author Thomas Armstrong suggests ways for teachers to identify their students’ multiple intelligences (MI). Identifying an individual’s multiple intelligences in not a matter of simply taking a test. Rather, it is an on-going process involving careful observation and investigation in order to make an assessment.The text also underlines the need for teachers to recognize that as children develop, so do their MI’s and warns against pigeon-holing students into one intelligenc
e. In order to evaluate [[#|student]] MI’s Armstrong suggests looking at student school records, documenting student work, special MI highlighting activities, and talking with colleagues, parents, and the students themselves.
As I was reading the line “one good way to identify students’ most highly developed intelligence is to observe how they misbehave in class” (Armstrong, p34), my mind went straight to my SED 101 class. During this class we discussed how all behavior is a form of communication. While at the time our focus was on identifying problems, I love the idea the author presents of using behavior as an indicator for student MI’s.Behavior is a way in which our students communicate their needs, and as a teacher it is important that I listen.
Jon Delorme
The most interesting point I found in Chapter Three was the idea that the teacher should look for a child’s strongest intelligence by how they misbehave in class. I think this is a great idea because I know I do this but never realized it until just now. If I am distracted or bored I talk to those beside me or fidget around, which now makes perfect sense. The authors suggest keeping either a digital or written record of these behaviors and using them to identify the student’s strength. I believe this is a great idea and I will certainly be using this in my future classroom. It struck me as odd that of the many ways to discover a student’s intelligence one option was not to simply ask the student directly. No one knows the student better than himself or herself and being upfront and honest would most likely not hurt the child.
Of course, asking other teachers and parents about the student is a great way to obtain valuable observational information. Looking at school records and photocopying them seems a little intrusive to me, but it certainly is an option to be thought of. Overall, I believe the message of this chapter is that it is key that a teacher tries their best to get to know their students. Knowing their preferences, strengths, and dislikes can go a long way in building a relationship and providing a better education for that child.
Tori Penney
The beginning of chapter three had a very interesting chart, Figure 3.1, where it laid out how students think, and what they love and need with their most developed intelligence's It was really cool to see all of the ways that their developed intelligence's would affect them, and how as a teacher I will be able to use these modes to stimulate their thinking. On page 34, a way of figuring out what these student’s most developed intelligence's are is introduced, and it is not what I was expecting. It is suggested that you pay attention to how students misbehave. How a student misbehaves, what it is they are doing, is a display that shows how each student would prefer to learn, how they like to act. Figure 3.2 is a checklist that a teacher could use to document how a student is behaving in class and use that information to determine what their MI(s) may be. I think that this is something that teachers should do throughout a student’s academic career, that way their future teachers have an idea of how to manage their classroom, that way they spend less time trying to figure the students out and more time catering to their education.
Tess Perry
Even though students have all 8 intelligences they all show tendencies towards certain ones at early ages. It is advantageous for the teacher to identify student’s intelligences to better understand how students learn and to assist in lesson planning. There is no singe way to identify intelligences. Assessing student’s intelligence is qualitative and comprehensive and should be an ongoing process as students change and grow during the school year. By simply observing students and making notes of their behaviors, habits and actions is a good method to start with for identifying student’s intelligences. This chapter gave other examples to further investigate, such as gathering information through school records or using pictures taken during class activities. Discover what students do outside your classroom, find out their hobbies or extracurricular activities, by simply asking other teachers or parents or even the students themselves.
There is much to be learned and gained from really, thoroughly getting to know and understand students. I did not consider this factor as in depth before reading this chapter. I am appreciative that students as individuals are placed so highly in the education process. After reading this chapter I want to be given the opportunity to observe all my students for at least a week before I actually do any instruction! I know this would not be feasible, but planning for how intelligence identification will take place in my classroom will now be included on my ‘to-do’ list.
Caroline Murphy
I think the chapter’s suggestions on how to identify students’ intelligence strengths is something that is extremely useful and important in the classroom. Kids aren’t going to come right out and tell you what the need in order to learn effectively, mostly because they themselves do not know for sure. But as teachers, one of our most important jobs is to figure out ways to communicate with our students when they can’t or won’t be direct with us. Understanding nonverbal actions, uncovering the reason behind poor behavior, and picking up on social cues are all essential to both effective classroom management and successful instruction. Those are all things that I will try to do once I’m with my students. I think paying attention to mulitple intelligences is a good way to be an involved and considerate teacher, too. Getting to know your students that well can only benefit them, because not only are you aware of their specific learning strengths and weaknesses, but they also know that their teacher really cares about them succeeding, and research has shown that this does very positive things for classroom performance. Learning so much about multiple intelligences has taught me a lot about myself too, and being self-aware will help me become a better teacher. Im learning to be more patient with myself and to focus on the things that I am good at instead of getting caught up in the things I naturally struggle with. Being a good teacher means modeling self-respect to your students, and appreciating my own strengths while developing my weaknesses in a healthy way will encourage confidence in my students.
Molly Olsen
One way to tell which kind of intelligence may be most prevalent within a student, is by watching what they do when they misbehave. How are they misbehaving? Are they talking too much? Won't take their headphones off? Can't sit still? These are all indicators of students returning to their natural state when they are bored or disinterested. They are returning to what is most comfortable for them, and teachers can use that information in order to better guide their lesson plans. The same sort of phenomenon often occurs if you give a class "choice time" in which varying activities are available, they are more likely to choose something they feel comfortable working with and enjoy doing over something they may struggle with or not understand.
It's a good idea to look back at a students school records to get an idea of what subject they show the most proclivity for. This is especially helpful if you work in a classroom where it is difficult to get away from a couple intelligences which the subject is most associated with, because if you can't see a student succeeding or enjoying something, you'll probably never know that that part of them exists. Talking to their other teachers and parents is helpful as well if you're trying especially hard to figure out what a child may be needing from you and your class. Something I found interesting was that it was suggested you look at a student's kindergarten records, as this is the time in which students are most likely to work with, and put on display, all of the intelligences equally. Then again, you could always just ask the student. After all, who spends more time with them than themselves?
Table of Contents
Molly Olsen
Chapter 3 Abstract
Just because a student doesn't ace standardized tests, or often fidgets in class, doesn't mean they're not smart. Students often possess varying levels of Howard Gardner's eight intelligences (Logical-mathematical, Spatial, Linguistic, Bodily-kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, Existential) and we shouldn't pigeon-hole them as only having one or two, but when they show a clear proclivity for some and not others, we can use that information to better help this student learn. The best way to do this is not with a test, but instead through observation. The author of the book even recommended paying attention to how students spend their free or down time between assignments, as well as the ways in which students misbehave in order to understand which intelligence they have used most. Take notes on these behaviors, and you may very well see a pattern.
Some more ways to figure out just what kind of intelligence a student most possesses, is to collect documents on them. What this means is save their projects, take pictures of their work, videotape or record performances and if possible, put them on a single disk or in a packet so that you have a sort of collage of their works. Another option is to set up a class in centers with specific intelligences targeted at each space, and see which students navigate and show the most intelligence and understanding in those centers. Reviewing their files is also helpful as seeing grades from past years and available test scores may show that they thrive in a movement-based environment such as shop class or gym, or may show that they do best in English class and hence probably have a knack for the linguistic.
Of course you can always talk to their past teachers who gave them these grades as well, so you have a clearer picture of what their expectations were of the student. You could also ask the student's parents as they spend more time with the child than anyone else. Parents help them with homework or projects and bring them to extracurriculars which may point in a specific direction, such as a musically-driven student having piano lessons. But the best person to talk to may actually be the student themselves. Asking questions about what lessons they most enjoy, what they do for fun, etc. could help you understand in what ways they are bright, and allows you to better help them with project choices or if they're stuck on a particular idea.
Chapter 3 Synthesis
Any sort of behavior is actually a form of communication, it's just up to us as teachers to interpret it. A student misbehaving doesn't necessarily mean that they're a "bad kid" but instead that perhaps you need to change your curriculum a bit to better cater to their needs. That poor behavior is also an indicator for what they would rather be doing, which is often what they have a proclivity for, so observation and understanding of that is paramount.
If you have a better understanding of how many of your students learn, or the way they learn best, you can better tailor your lessons to fit their needs. If you're teaching in a way that "fits" them, they'll be more enthusiastic and engaged in the subject. It would be nice if we could take time out of class to just observe and take notes, but as teachers, we have to keep moving, so quick jots of quotes or actions of the student may be best.
Getting to better know your students is never a bad thing as it will foster better relationships. We all want to better understand our students, and they want to be understood. Sometimes it's as simple as talking to them, reviewing their files, picking up on their social cues, or simply the previously mentioned overall observation because usually, kids aren't going to come right out and tell you how they learn best because often times they don't know themselves.
Garrett Hodgkins
The third Chapter of Multiple Intelligences goes in some way you can assess what a students stronger intelligences may be. It gives a number of good examples and ways one might do this. For instance, examining the way they misbehave in class, what they do in their free-time, talking with other teachers or the students parents, and setting up special activities.Before this chapter I had assumed that I would be able to place a students intelligence area simply from my normal assessments and observing some of their actions in the classroom. In retrospect that is a silly thought because one can not simply learn where a student may excel or not from just one classroom. This has changed my view on how I can better get to know my students, and use that to my advantage when writing lesson plans and units. Also, it gave a great idea when it came to the special activities in order to determine where the whole classrooms strengths may lie, my only concern with this however is how often will there be time to make 8 activities that could assess each intelligence, while trying to teach a class period effectively? Although this may seem shaky, im sure that in the course of an entire unit something like this may possible, and in the long run a little lost time in one unit to learn more of my students may increase efficiency in later units.
Sean Falasca
Although there is not true test for assessing students Multiple Intelligence, the best assessment is simply observing them. Looking at how they misbehave in class can be a sign of expression. If you aren't teaching to everyone's intelligences then they will express their intelligence anyway they can. So, don't always take misbehaving as a troubled child, but as a signal for what we can do differently to help a student. Also, looking at how student spend their free time is a good indicator as well. I used to play sports whenever I had free time, which would give the teacher evidence that I am a Bodily/Kinesthetic learner. Also, when I was in the classroom I used to do a lot of tapping with my fingers, pen, pencils, or whatever I could get my hands on. This was another sign of my Multiple Intelligence, but some of my teacher just told me to stop rather than using it as evidence that I could be taught a different way.
Keeping a notebook or journal as a teacher will help me greatly to keep track of the type of learner my students are. Adding a few lines based off observations to each student everyday will give me an abundance of research that I can use to help better my teaching and use it to help my colleagues as well. I don’t agree with the book on taking picture of students to keep track of their Multiple Intelligences. I think that is going to far and simple observation would get the job done. Even if observation wasn’t clear I could just have a meeting with a student and ask questions that would give me the answers I seek or ask other colleagues opinions.
Alison Hutchins
Chapter 3 of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom focuses on the student rather than the teacher. Once a teacher understands their own multiple intelligence strengths and weaknesses, they can be implemented on the classroom. The chapter mostly gives ways to access student multiple intelligences. It tells us that these "proclivities" begin at a very early age, so early that they've probably already gain some primary form of learning before they even begin their schooling careers. The chapter also makes it clear that there is no "megatest" for multiple intelligences to tell you with absolutely certainty where your student will excel, or where their weaknesses lie. Some of the ways it suggests observing them for their intelligences, however is to watch the way that they misbehaves (as these are usually associated to their intelligence strengths), to know how they spend their free time, to look at school record, talk to other teachers and parents, and ask the student.
Knowing this information about a student drastically changes the way that you teach them, so finding them out as quickly as possible is really very important to the classroom. The chapter was very helpful giving such inventive ways to find out, outside of just giving them a test. Searching their past and their records, and observing them closely gives you and even more in depth view of the student. Finding these out also lets you be aware of what you can do as a teacher to accommodate them, and, if you are weak in that area, seek help from other teachers and students.
Frank Makuch
This chapter focuses on identifying the multiple intelligences of classroom students. There is no one answer to figure this information out but there are ways to get an idea of how a student learns best. Some ways to figure this out is to watch how students want to spend their time. This can be done by watching how students misbehave in class, and also by what they do on their own during free time. The author suggests keeping a notebook in order to asses these proclivities on a larger scale. To get an even longer timeline of student behavior it also might be useful to consult school documents. Kindergarten records can be useful because students were able to do more creative things at that level. The author also suggests talking with other teachers, talking with parents, and asking students to find out how the student thinks. Within a teachers own classroom he can set up special activities as well to see how the student reacts to an emphasis on certain intelligences.This section seems very interesting to me because the author advocates a certain amount of detective work in order to uncover some of this knowledge. I do not know if I’ll try to find a student’s kindergarten records to asses them in high school but I do see how it could be of some use. Catering to all multiple intelligences may be overkill in a certain classroom if none of the students learn well that way. This is why it may be important to find out what and how to teach.
Amy Jones
Chapter 3 of MI describes how you can assess the different multiple intelligences of your students. The first thing you need to know is how students with the different intelligences think.There are many ways in which you can asses your students but the best way is to simply observe them. In the chapter the authors provide a checklist that you could perform on each student, which will make it easier for you to determine their primary learning strategy. This will become useful when making lessons plans so that you can tailor the assignments that will promote the best work from your students. Other examples of assessment are:
- Collecting Documents: pictures and videos can be used to capture memorable
- Looking at student records: typically which subjects were better/worse
- Talking with other teachers: This will help in assessing the student as a whole, maybe they engage more/less in other subject areas, or even with different teaching strategies.
- Talking with student’s parents: This will help provide more information about the child through their actions outside of the classroom (different hobbies and interests).
- Ask students: feedback from students will tell you a lot.
- Set up special activities: Look for those kids who are striving and those that aren’t.
The importance of knowing your students different learning styles is essential and will help you teach in ways that your students will understand and maybe even engage in the material more enthusiastically.Kaitlyn Bowie
The focus of this chapter is how to best go about identifying a student’s strongest intelligences and then incorporating ways that will best stimulate those intelligences in the classroom. The best way to go about identifying these intelligences is to observe the students and see how they go about misbehaving in class and how they spend their free time, and take note of what you see. A teacher can also talk to the student’s parents and past teachers to see where they see strengths and weaknesses and what situations stimulate the best learning for them. A teacher can also conduct interviews with students to pinpoint what kinds of activities or learning process they have most enjoyed in other classes, even if in other subjects, because there is likely a way to incorporate that into one’s own teaching method. While not every student will enjoy every way a teacher choose to teach a lesson, a teacher who successfully utilizes the idea of multiple intelligences will see the hypothetical light bulbs going on and off during their lesson.What this means for my classroom and teaching methods is that I will need to identify the best ways in which my class learns and find a way to present the information in a multitude of ways that will appeal to them, and relay the same information. While some of my students will have an easier time sitting and taking notes during a lecture, others may be more inclined to see film adaptations and documentaries. Then the few students who perhaps prefer neither option, I can focus my attentions on and work one-on-one with them to identify the best course of learning for them.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 3, of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, the author Thomas Armstrong suggests ways for teachers to identify their students’ multiple intelligences (MI). Identifying an individual’s multiple intelligences in not a matter of simply taking a test. Rather, it is an on-going process involving careful observation and investigation in order to make an assessment.The text also underlines the need for teachers to recognize that as children develop, so do their MI’s and warns against pigeon-holing students into one intelligence. In order to evaluate [[#|student]] MI’s Armstrong suggests looking at student school records, documenting student work, special MI highlighting activities, and talking with colleagues, parents, and the students themselves.
As I was reading the line “one good way to identify students’ most highly developed intelligence is to observe how they misbehave in class” (Armstrong, p34), my mind went straight to my SED 101 class. During this class we discussed how all behavior is a form of communication. While at the time our focus was on identifying problems, I love the idea the author presents of using behavior as an indicator for student MI’s.Behavior is a way in which our students communicate their needs, and as a teacher it is important that I listen.
Jon Delorme
The most interesting point I found in Chapter Three was the idea that the teacher should look for a child’s strongest intelligence by how they misbehave in class. I think this is a great idea because I know I do this but never realized it until just now. If I am distracted or bored I talk to those beside me or fidget around, which now makes perfect sense. The authors suggest keeping either a digital or written record of these behaviors and using them to identify the student’s strength. I believe this is a great idea and I will certainly be using this in my future classroom. It struck me as odd that of the many ways to discover a student’s intelligence one option was not to simply ask the student directly. No one knows the student better than himself or herself and being upfront and honest would most likely not hurt the child.
Of course, asking other teachers and parents about the student is a great way to obtain valuable observational information. Looking at school records and photocopying them seems a little intrusive to me, but it certainly is an option to be thought of. Overall, I believe the message of this chapter is that it is key that a teacher tries their best to get to know their students. Knowing their preferences, strengths, and dislikes can go a long way in building a relationship and providing a better education for that child.
Tori Penney
The beginning of chapter three had a very interesting chart, Figure 3.1, where it laid out how students think, and what they love and need with their most developed intelligence's It was really cool to see all of the ways that their developed intelligence's would affect them, and how as a teacher I will be able to use these modes to stimulate their thinking. On page 34, a way of figuring out what these student’s most developed intelligence's are is introduced, and it is not what I was expecting. It is suggested that you pay attention to how students misbehave. How a student misbehaves, what it is they are doing, is a display that shows how each student would prefer to learn, how they like to act. Figure 3.2 is a checklist that a teacher could use to document how a student is behaving in class and use that information to determine what their MI(s) may be. I think that this is something that teachers should do throughout a student’s academic career, that way their future teachers have an idea of how to manage their classroom, that way they spend less time trying to figure the students out and more time catering to their education.
Tess Perry
Even though students have all 8 intelligences they all show tendencies towards certain ones at early ages. It is advantageous for the teacher to identify student’s intelligences to better understand how students learn and to assist in lesson planning. There is no singe way to identify intelligences. Assessing student’s intelligence is qualitative and comprehensive and should be an ongoing process as students change and grow during the school year. By simply observing students and making notes of their behaviors, habits and actions is a good method to start with for identifying student’s intelligences. This chapter gave other examples to further investigate, such as gathering information through school records or using pictures taken during class activities. Discover what students do outside your classroom, find out their hobbies or extracurricular activities, by simply asking other teachers or parents or even the students themselves.
There is much to be learned and gained from really, thoroughly getting to know and understand students. I did not consider this factor as in depth before reading this chapter. I am appreciative that students as individuals are placed so highly in the education process. After reading this chapter I want to be given the opportunity to observe all my students for at least a week before I actually do any instruction! I know this would not be feasible, but planning for how intelligence identification will take place in my classroom will now be included on my ‘to-do’ list.
Caroline Murphy
I think the chapter’s suggestions on how to identify students’ intelligence strengths is something that is extremely useful and important in the classroom. Kids aren’t going to come right out and tell you what the need in order to learn effectively, mostly because they themselves do not know for sure. But as teachers, one of our most important jobs is to figure out ways to communicate with our students when they can’t or won’t be direct with us. Understanding nonverbal actions, uncovering the reason behind poor behavior, and picking up on social cues are all essential to both effective classroom management and successful instruction. Those are all things that I will try to do once I’m with my students. I think paying attention to mulitple intelligences is a good way to be an involved and considerate teacher, too. Getting to know your students that well can only benefit them, because not only are you aware of their specific learning strengths and weaknesses, but they also know that their teacher really cares about them succeeding, and research has shown that this does very positive things for classroom performance. Learning so much about multiple intelligences has taught me a lot about myself too, and being self-aware will help me become a better teacher. Im learning to be more patient with myself and to focus on the things that I am good at instead of getting caught up in the things I naturally struggle with. Being a good teacher means modeling self-respect to your students, and appreciating my own strengths while developing my weaknesses in a healthy way will encourage confidence in my students.
Molly Olsen
One way to tell which kind of intelligence may be most prevalent within a student, is by watching what they do when they misbehave. How are they misbehaving? Are they talking too much? Won't take their headphones off? Can't sit still? These are all indicators of students returning to their natural state when they are bored or disinterested. They are returning to what is most comfortable for them, and teachers can use that information in order to better guide their lesson plans. The same sort of phenomenon often occurs if you give a class "choice time" in which varying activities are available, they are more likely to choose something they feel comfortable working with and enjoy doing over something they may struggle with or not understand.It's a good idea to look back at a students school records to get an idea of what subject they show the most proclivity for. This is especially helpful if you work in a classroom where it is difficult to get away from a couple intelligences which the subject is most associated with, because if you can't see a student succeeding or enjoying something, you'll probably never know that that part of them exists. Talking to their other teachers and parents is helpful as well if you're trying especially hard to figure out what a child may be needing from you and your class. Something I found interesting was that it was suggested you look at a student's kindergarten records, as this is the time in which students are most likely to work with, and put on display, all of the intelligences equally. Then again, you could always just ask the student. After all, who spends more time with them than themselves?